To Fight for Friendship and Family
by Oyashiro-Sama'sDemon
Summary: When a trainer receives two Pokemon of the same species, she tries to make it work. A big happy family. Unfortunately for her, the other members of her team begin to clash. Family life was never perfect, after all. Reviews loved; T for safety.


**AN: Um...I'm not quite sure if this story has any moral anymore. It all seems jumbled to me. However, I'll be nice to myself, since a certain someone doesn't want me to bash my confidence. Anyways, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon doesn't belong to me. Just Julia.**

**PS: Yes, I know, the Pokemon in here...well, yeah. All of my friends took a quiz to see who they were, and that's pretty much it. I chose these Pokemon because they represent close friends of mine. So please ignore the oddness. **

* * *

"You three ready?"

"Mew~!"

"Bo-bone!"

"...Slooooow?"

"...I guess that's a yes then?"

She looked down at the Togepi in her arms, "And you?"

"Togi~"

"You know, for all of your sakes, I hope this all translates to one big happy, eager yes. Let's catch our fifth member!"

There was a cheer on agreement and excitement- for the most part, at least. Lala never really cheered with the others, although, on her part, she did add a dopey stare that was somewhat enthusiastic...sort of.

Julia looked at her team, all of them out, then at the vast forest surrounding them. It was nightfall- with any luck she would be able to find something interesting wandering about.

And without parental supervision- angry, strong, parental supervision- or this would be even harder.

Thick oak trees were too identical for the fifteen year old to make sense of, and all of her Pokemon would be useless in making any sense of direction either. Lala, her Slowpoke, a rather ordinary one at that, although slightly faster than the rest of her species, was still a Slowpoke; so slow and simple that even if she _did_ know her way through, it would take hours with her as the leader. Mitsuko, her Mew- how she had Mew she didn't even know; called it a 'glitch in the system' – was far too hyperactive, and tended to space out too much, so she was out. So was Haru, her Cubone. Though a little quiet, and shy like other Cubones, she could become very eager and hyper, and like the others, would easily get lost. Lastly, her newborn Togepi, Merry, had only hatched a few days ago and was just a baby. However, as she was easily influenced, she tended to either join the others in their antics, or laze about with Lala somewhere under a tree.

Julia sighed to herself, her dark hair getting in her face, covering her normally bright and shining eyes. Grumbling, she placed Merry gently onto the forest floor of soft grass, tying her hair back to show she was serious. Picking the already crying newborn back up, she zipped her jacket and marched forward, plunging deeper into the forest, Pokemon in pursuit. "Okay, boys and- ... Okay girls, let's get a move on."

* * *

It had taken an hour of wandering- and running from higher leveled Pokemon- for Julia to realize this strategy wasn't working. With a sigh, she returned both Lala and Mitsuko, who were both having difficulty staying with the group, leaving only Haru and Togepi outside to keep her company and protect her. The forest was, as expected, a complete maze. Because of her paranoia, the human was positive she had passed areas before. "Haru, can't we use your bone to lead the way or something?"

Haru looked to her trainer, adjusting her skull helmet as gently as possible, staring in confusion, almost asking, 'What do you think this is, a compass?' And knowing her, she really was.

"Mn...this Pokemon better be worth it." She wanted something cute- although every Pokemon, even Grimer, was cute to her- something she didn't have already, and above all? Female. So far, it's all been Hoothoot, Zubat, and a mix of bugs, all of which she'd already captured. Why couldn't she find what she wanted?

"I mean, I only have two badges; I already have all of you, so rare and unique to Johto, and it's time I got some Johto natives besides Merry. But what?" She wanted to catch her last members of her team. She had received Lala as her starter, as opposed to receiving a Totodile, Cyndaquil, or Chikorita, and Mew just suddenly...appeared. 'Glitch in the system.' Not that she was upset about it; just not fangirling about it either. She received Haru from a friend as an egg, and then Prof. Elm also gave her Merry, although he didn't know what was in the egg at the time. So, a starter, a random pop up, and two eggs. She really didn't feel right without catching her own permanent members, and by all means, by tonight she'll have corrected that!

Just then, she was pulled from her thoughts when Haru stared off in the distance, going a little stiff like she always did when cautious. Merry, however, only seemed to turn cheerier than her usual jolly disposition. "Did you guys find something of interest for me to look at?"

"Cubone! Bone, bone!" Haru tugged at her trainer's jeans, pointing ahead with her bone club. With an eager grin, Julia nodded and ran forward, through the thicket.

She was quite upset, although pleased at the same time, to see something she knew she wanted; a Teddiursa. However, she was not pleased to see a swarm of Beedrill surrounding it, outnumbering it five to one. "Well that's not very fair!"

She pulled out her Pokedex, looking through the information provided to her. "...Ah, I see. Likes to make honey using fruits and the pollen collected by Beedrill. Guess today wasn't your lucky day. Good thing for you I'm here." Without a second thought, Haru was returned into the safety of her Pokeball, and Merry was too. Next, Julia threw out another Pokeball, right in front of the Teddiursa, cutting it off from the swarm hovering closer and closer.

"Ur?" As the sphere opened up, the flash of red energy quickly formed into Lala, who stared, dumbfounded expression planted on her face as usual. "...Po?"

"Alright, Lala, you take care of them with Confusion! It's not right to gang up on others, you know!" _...Even if said person stole from you. But, it's still soooo cute!_

For a few moments, the wild Pokemon was afraid the Slowpoke wasn't listening to her trainer, as the bug Pokemon continued their advance, even faster than before. Lala just kept staring at nothing in particular with that empty gaze, and then tilted her head up ever so slightly; her pupils glowing a transparent blue, all Beedrill were evidently halted, their bodies outlined with the same color. They wiggled, struggling and trying to jab air, but Lala still kept a firm hold on them, tilting her head before jerking it to the left, sending the Beedrill into the same direction, forcing them to crash into various objects, whether it be trees or each other. Then, she repeated the process with a jerk to the opposite side. The Teddiursa, having shown no signs of outright fear in the first place, stared in slight awe, having never really encountered a psychic type.

The Beedrill were repeatedly thrown around like rag dolls until they more or less fainted, those surviving the attack without losing consciousness carrying their comrades off, back to their nest. Julia stared at the display, unimpressed. "Guess they just evolved or something... Lala, you're only level twenty- not that you didn't do excellent." The Slowpoke didn't seem to care about the last minute praise, however.

The human turned her attention to the little brown bear, who was staring up at her, even when she got on her knees. She offered a smile. "Feel safer now? I don't think the Beedrill will bother you anymore. Although, it might be smarter to steal their honey in the future."

This statement seemed to provoke the Teddiursa, who glared, waving a paw angrily in Julia's face, tone angry and defensive, though still cute. "Teddy, Teddy!"

At the girl's confused look, the bear shoved said waving paw into her face again, more specifically in her mouth, before pulling it out. She, for a moment, was left confused, if not a little violated, but then realized what point was trying to be made when the sense of taste hit her. "Your paw...it doesn't taste like anything! Well, I mean, bear fur- but, no honey!"

Crossing it- well, her, now that the trainer was close- paws around her chest, the Teddiursa nodded, looking offended. "...Weird. A Teddiursa who doesn't like honey. But, then, if you didn't take their pollen, what did-"

"Uuuurrrrsssaaaaa~~~~!"

Out from a high tree came another blur of brown, crashing into Lala, sending her rolling and tumbling onto the floor. Now, belly pushed to the ground, she continued the dopey stare for a few moments. "...Slow?"

"Ursa, Ursa, Ursa!" Julia watched as the other, more hyper Teddiursa clung to her Slowpoke, covering them both in pollen, mashed up fruit, and the beginnings of golden honey. The calmer of the two little bears walked over, grabbing the hyper one, and promptly began shaking her over and over, shouting. In retaliation, the other stuck out her tongue and forced her paw into the other's mouth, forcing her to down some of the sweet substance she disliked, causing her to back away and gag.

An eruption of, "Ursa! Sa! Teddy!" and so on began, leaving the fifteen year old confused, and Lala, well, Lala, only stickier and messier.

They began to tussle, forcing one another to the ground, covering them both in sticky food, leaves, twigs, and other debris, causing the human to become discouraged. "Wait, which one do I capture? I wanted the one we saved, Lala, but they're both the same right now!"

At that moment, Mitsuko came out of her Pokeball in a burst of red light, throwing her hands in the air. "Mew Mew~!"

Grabbing two balls from Spider's bag, the legendary threw them both at each Teddiursa. "Ah, Mitsuko, wait!"

But the Mew had accomplished her goal, and successfully captured both Pokemon of the same species in a matter of seconds. One minute, they were fighting each other in anger, the next, only two capsules lay on the ground. Julia stared, eyes wide. "...Do I have two permanent members of the same species now? ...And how come you can capture so well and I can't?"

* * *

As the human sat on a log, arms crossed and eyes closed, deep in thought, Merry, Haru, Lala, and Mitsuko surrounded the two Teddiursa, both sitting down and confused. However, the hyper of the two was content with sucking on her paw, seemingly pleased with the results of her fruit mixing and the taste of her creation, crescent moon adorned on her forehead glowing.

_"So...we have two new members instead of one?"_ Haru asked, staring at the newcomers as she fiddled with her bone club.

_"...Seems that way, huh..."_ Lala answered, looking up at the sky, now dark and decorated with stars.

_"Well I like it! Two members are better than one, twice the fun~!"_ Mitsuko declared as she floated in the air, twirling around.

Merry, still too young to speak, only agreed with little sounds of glee, bouncing on her small feet, particularly taking an interest in the calm Teddiursa whose ears twitched.

As she sucked on her paw, the bear nodded her head in agreement. _"Yeah! The way you took care of those Beedrill was awesome! They would've gotten me for sure for taking their pollen!"_

_"You mean_ me!_"_ The other reminded angrily, _"You jumped on me to get away, and then they came after me, thinking I was you!"_

The other, however, shrugged as best as she could, apparently unconcerned for the other.

They bantered back and forth, showing the others that they were, at the very least, acquaintances or friends. Their trainer then interrupted them suddenly with a clap of her hands. "It's decided! You two will become a part of our team, even though I only intended to get one of you. You, my little odd one, shall be known as Teddy. It was the first thing you said to me when you saw me." Teddy looked like she was going to protest, but the youngest and jolliest of the group already clung to the idea, also clinging to the newly named Teddy, causing the bear to back down.

"And you, Miss Happy-go-Honey, shall be dubbed Kitty."

When everyone stared at her, her face flushed slightly. "What? It works. She's as hyper as my friend's Skitty."

Kitty didn't seem to care, pleased with her name. "Ursa~!"

"Alright then girls, welcome to the team! An all female team that can compete with anyone out there, even guys who think they're better!" Teddy seemed to perk up at this, pumping her fist in the air. Kitty, however, seemed crestfallen. "Sa?"

"Hm?"

She gestured wildly, confusing the trainer, tilting her head to the side. Then, Kitty grabbed Mitsuko's hand, and dragged her to Lala, positioning them and making them hold one another. "...Slowpoke?"

"...Oh. Romance- Boys!" Kitty nodded vigorously, hope in her eyes. Julia looked away, thinking. "Well... I mean, yeah, there's that shiny Hoothoot and my Pidgey, but...no, really, almost completely girls, Kitty."

"Ursaaaaa!" Kitty fell dramatically to the floor, tears in her big eyes, pouting, making Teddy roll her eyes. Lala and Mitsuko stared at each other, still in one another's arms, Mitsuko too embarrassed to move, Lala too uncaring to do anything. It was Haru, holding in the awkward giggle she wanted to let out, that separated them, the legendary floating behind Julia, who gently patted her head in understanding.

The trainer looked to her team, all off in their own little world.

"Well isn't this great, huh? Our new members, each the same species. A calm feminist and a flirt. Add that to a hyper bubble of energy, a newborn with a big heart, an insane, shy child, and a dazed, lost, slower-than-a-snail, and you've got us."

* * *

Everything had started out well, she wanted to think. Mitsuko and Kitty had hit it off superbly, both hyper and happy, as did Haru with the new bundle of crazy. Lala did, too, and got along well with Teddy to boot. Merry had clung almost instantly to Teddy, making the bear happy, if not a little worried, dealing with the imprint. Teddy and Kitty, as it turned out, got along on friendly terms, and Haru was friendly out of respect. Julia was positive that would bloom into a good relationship soon enough. Mitsuko and Teddy, however, were hitting problems, though both were trying.

Mitsuko was always out and about, trying crazy stunts and, what her trainer was guessing, said the first thing that came to mind. Teddy seemed a bit more reserved than that, making her stand out from the team minus Lala. Kitty, Mitsuko, Haru, and Merry, all got excited easily, and clung to each other, tackling for the giggles it would get, acting before thinking, and causing problems that would later become fond memories. Lala really didn't do much, usually coerced into it because the others forced it upon the pink waste of space, and would usually just watch, as did Teddy. Teddy wouldn't let herself be forced into things she didn't think she would enjoy, often sticking up for herself, sometimes the Slowpoke when the others started physically dragging her along for the ride.

It started to fall apart when another Beedrill nest was involved. Their nest was pretty small- it only took up about three trees- and Kakuna hung from the branches, forever frozen in their yellow cocoon bodies, always glaring with their black eyes until they would be released with evolution. Mitsuko and Kitty were enjoying themselves, poking at them, Haru trying to climb the tree. Merry, too, was having fun, and though she wasn't tall enough and she could only stare at the Kakuna, she giggled whenever the wind managed to move them a few inches. Teddy, playing it safe, refused to go near the trees, staying a safe distance away with her human, who had dozed off due to getting no sleep last night. Lala sat by Teddy, watching as she lied on the ground, Teddy sitting down next to her.

_"What are they thinking? Don't they know how dangerous that is? It's like they're asking to be stung when the parents get back."_ Teddy was truthfully worried about them, but couldn't help thinking that they were only asking for trouble like usual.

_"...You can't really stop them once they start, though..."_

_"Lala, Lala!"_ Mitsuko zoomed over, twirling around as she saw fit. _"You have to play with us! Come on, Kitty thinks she can beat Haru in a climbing contest!"_

The Water-type looked away, showing she wasn't interested, but that didn't stop the Mew from pulling at her. _"Come on, let's go!"_

_"Wait a minute!" _Teddy cut in, nudging Mitsuko's hands away. _"Lala doesn't want to. You've got to respect that."_

The Mew pouted. _"She could use some spicing up in her life! Lala needs to get out more, try new things! She'll resemble nothing but a rock if she doesn't."_

_"But that doesn't mean forcing her to try things that she doesn't want to, at least not dangerous stuff."_

_"Dangerous? It's Kakuna! They can't hurt us!"_

_"That's not the point! Their parents could come back!"_

_"Teddy, you need to relax._ Relax. _Lala took care of them before, she can do it again."_

Teddy and Mitsuko's argument had attracted attention, because they had started shouting halfway through, Lala being tugged by both Pokemon. Haru, Kitty, and Merry had walked over, wondering what was going on. Merry began to cry when Kitty, wanting the Slowpoke to play, began tugging along with Mitsuko, and Haru stood there, confused and picking up on Lala's pain and depression that she hid behind a stare.

The shouting escalated to fighting when Merry accidentally revealed her Metronome by waving her tiny arms wildly; her arms began to glow that transparent blue, and shot out a small jolt of electricity; though the Thundershock was weak, it still hurt- especially for a water type like Lala. This pain, she felt without a waiting period, and let out a cry, making her shoot out a fierce Water Gun, which led to Mitsuko slamming into Kitty, who released a wild Scratch, catching Haru by surprise when she was hit on her tail, releasing her bone club in a wild Bonemerang, hitting Teddy.

The confusion of it all led to Mitsuko and Teddy fighting, Scratches, Pounds, and other moves were released, while Merry continued crying, Lala paralyzed on the ground, Haru holding her bone club protectively, and Kitty shouting in pain.

All noise led to Julia's awakening, and immediate anger afterwards. "What the hell is going on?"

* * *

Lala was depressed. She was hurt, her body ached, her tail felt like it would fall off any minute, and had sticky Paralyze Heal spray all over her body.

She looked to her team; Julia was still scolding Mitsuko and Teddy, who were covered in cuts and scratches because there were no Potions or Berries left. They looked to the ground, disappointed and upset, but listened respectfully. While she was scolding, she rocked Merry in her arms, who was still letting out quieted tears and shaking. Kitty was somewhere high in a tree, making a new batch of honey because the previous batch left to soak in her paw washed away before it could stay there permanently, making her upset. Haru, who was so in tune with others, was left just as depressed as Lala, and was sitting under a tree, curled in a ball.

Lala sighed; she was depressed. Though she didn't want to move, she began to wander away, but was halted by her trainer's shout.

"Hold on a sec, you. Where do you think you're going?"

She didn't move for a few moments, then continued trying to leave the area. Julia stared at her Slowpoke's retreating form, anger doused out of her. She sighed and turned back to Teddy and Mitsuko, placing Merry down, and said, "I want no more fighting, you understand? Do you really want to wake up any more Beedrill? If you two can't compromise, then you won't be allowed outside anymore."

Mitsuko and Teddy both nodded, heads still downcast in shame. "Great, now I have another problem on my hands. I want you two to _get along_ no matter what, you hear me? I expect all of you cheered up when I get back, which means I expect you two to cheer up Merry and Kitty, and Haru especially. I'll be back."

As their trainer jogged away- though she probably didn't need to, considering it was Lala- Mitsuko and Teddy were left alone with their team.

Mitsuko looked to Teddy in silence. Slowly, she outstretched her paw. Teddy waited, deep in thought, before she too extended her paw. As they shook hands, Merry slowly quieted with a trembling smile playing on her lips. The Mew smiled at her, trying to cheer her up, as did Teddy, and both began to make silly faces, just for her entertainment. Merry's young giggling aroused Haru's attention, who slowly lifted her head. The sight before her made a small smile play on her lips as well, and she slowly stood, readjusted her skull helmet, and wandered over. Kitty, staring at them from the safety of her tree, grinned at them. Things would work out. She was positive they would.

She looked down at the batch of honey she was making. She then looked to her friends, directly below her. Back and forth, back and forth... She became devious. "Ur~"

* * *

Julia had caught up with Lala a while ago, but had let her wander to wherever she wanted to go, so long as it wasn't too far away from camp. Thankfully, it wasn't. Lala had stopped at a small pond and was currently sprawled on the ground, eyes showing her obvious sorrow. The human sat next to her starter, slowly petting her, minding the damage that had been done.

"...Hey, you."

"Slow..."

"Oh, I see," she said with a knowing, teasing note of voice. "When you're upset you're quick to speak to me, eh?

When she received no reply, she picked up the sticky water-type, and held her close. "Alright. It's obvious to me why you're upset, Lala. You're blaming yourself for this whole mess, aren't you?"

When Lala nodded, she continued, "Well, it's not. You've just got a few friends who think differently. It was wrong of them to fight over you. They're your friends, but not your parents. Speak up for yourself, Slowpoke; it'll do wonders for yourself, your friends, and this team."

Lala considered these words as she stared at the pond. In a way, it was like herself. It reflected everything but itself- it was blank. It showed others not itself, just reflections. Yet, when touched, it rippled to reveal endless potential- is that what she should be? Potential?

She slowly moved her head to stare up at Julia, who was also staring at the pond. Her mind was made up. "...Slow..."

"Alrighty."

The trainer stood, and walked back to camp with her Pokemon, who now had a reason to speak.

They came back to a sticky mess of course, but it was theirs. And they loved it. They loved each other, and worked through the differences as best as possible, with the help of their pink dope.


End file.
